Kimbo says he's evolved, but Mitrione promises slugfest at UFC 113

MONTREAL – At Friday’s UFC 113 weigh-ins at the Bell Centre in Montreal, one of the biggest roars of the day for any non-Canadian fighter was issued to former streetfighter Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

The bearded brawler continues to captivate audiences wherever he goes as fans clamor to catch a glimpse of the heavy handed, street-certified slugger.

At tonight’s UFC 113 event, those same fans will be hoping to witness the brawl that everyone anticipated would take place in his official UFC debut with Houston Alexander this past December. Slice’s UFC 113 opponent, Matt Mitrione (1-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), promises he’ll deliver.

“It will be fun. We’re going to get out there and fight like we’re kids again, just letting ‘em work, and whatever happens, happens.”

If Mitrione holds true to his word, the Montreal crowd and those watching on pay-per-view could be in store for real fireworks. Of course, Alexander promised to deliver that type of fight as well, then curiously elected to circle around the outside of the cage for most of the 15-minute affair.

Just two fights into his MMA career and appearing on the main card of a pay-per-view event, Mitrione realizes the opportunity he’s been given and doesn’t think the fight could possibly turn out to be anything less than explosive.

“I look forward to getting in there and letting it fly,” Mitrione said. “I’m fortunate that I get to throw hands with Kimbo. He’s a huge name. He brings a lot of attention. He brings a ton of attention to this sport. It’s cool.”

While both fighters made their way to the UFC through “The Ultimate Fighter 10,” the two were placed on opposing teams and say they have little familiarity with each other.

“I didn’t see anything on Kimbo,” Mitrione said. “Nothing at all. We saw the exact same thing that was on television. Our teams almost never had any kind of crossover whatsoever.

“I think we sparred one day, on the evaluation day, so we don’t really know anything about each other and our hand speed and power.”

Of course, if you listen to Slice, that might not matter anyway. The 36-year-old Floridian has been working hard at American Top Team to round out his game, and he now believes he’ll have a few tricks up his sleeve.

“I’ve evolved,” Slice said. “I came from a streetfighter, and I was one-dimensional a couple of years back. Every day gets better for me. If anyone has a chance to beat me, it was yesterday. The next day I get better. Every day I get better.”

Of course, Slice still favors the big knockouts that made him famous on YouTube, but he said he realizes it takes more than powerful punching to be successful in the UFC.